Bureau of Missing Villains
Batman's Bureau of Missing Villains was a series of case files maintained by Batman on so-called "missing villains", minor criminals whom he'd fought and defeated early in his career but had since vanished into obscurity. The files were first published as part of the short-lived Batman Family mini-series which ran from 1975 to 1978. Many of the missing villains had either retired, died, or were simply incarcerated for an extended period; however, a few such as Matthew Hagen and Basil Karlo, the first and second Clayfaces, did return to Gotham City at a later point and face Batman again. Resurgence It is unclear if Batman still maintains a "Bureau of Missing Villains" dossier, as several of the original villains mentioned in the original case files have since made a resurgence. However, occasionally he does make specific reference to a "bygone era" of largely inactive Golden and Silver Age costumed criminals. These rogues were characterised by harmless petty crimes in the main and the colorful sensationalism surrounding their exploits. According to Batman, most of them became minor celebrities as a result of their bizarre and impractical crime sprees. Their fame quickly diminished with the onset of major crimes being committed by the Joker, the Penguin, and a new generation of darker, more lethal supervillains. The "bygone era" villains recalled most prominently by Batman included Kite Man, Killer Moth, Cavalier, and others. Calendar Man, Firefly, and Catman are examples of "bygone era" villains which have been re-imagined and are now considered major characters in their own right. ''Ambush Bug: Year None'' The phenomenon of missing Batman villains was parodied in Ambush Bug: Year None, which depicts most minor rogues from Gotham City being banished to an extraterrestrial prison where Batman hides "embarrassments" from his past. Inmates of this facility included the Polka-Dot Man and Composite Superman.Whatever Happened to the Bug of Yesterday? by Giffen, Fleming & Milgrom. Ambush Bug: Year None Vol 1 #4. December 2008. Original Bureau of Missing Villains File:Terrible-Trio BMV.PNG|The Terrible Trio (Batman Family #11) File:Doctor NoFace BMV.png|''Doctor No-Face'' (Batman Family #11) File:Clayface II.jpg|Clayface (Matthew Hagen) (Batman Family #12) File:Basil Karlo (New Earth) 099.png|Clayface (Basil Karlo) (Batman Family #12) File:Silver Age Outsider1.jpg|The Outsider (Batman Family #13) File:Zodiac Master2.png|Zodiac Master (Batman Family #14) File:Polka-Dot Man BMV.jpg|Polka-Dot Man (Batman Family #15) File:740053-calendarman 1.jpg|Calendar Man (Batman Family #16) "Bygone Era" Villains File:Atomic Man BMV1.jpg|Atomic Man File:Bag o Bones1.jpg|Bag O'Bones File:BlackRogue1.PNG|Black Rogue File:Bouncer BMV.jpg|The Bouncer File:Brand.png|The Brand File:Captain Stingaree 01.jpg|Captain Stingaree File:Cannoneer1.PNG|Cannoneer File:Cavalier BMV.jpg|Cavalier File:The Clock BMV.jpg|The Clock File:Cluemaster BMV.png|Cluemaster File:Colonel Blimp BMV.png|Colonel Blimp File:Crazy Quilt.jpg|Crazy Quilt File:Crimson Knight1.png|Crimson Knight File:Dagger BMV1.png|Dagger File:Doctor Double X BMV.png|Doctor Double X File:Doctor NoFace BMV.png|Doctor No-Face File:Doctor Tzin-Tzin BMV.png|Doctor Tzin-Tzin File:Doctor Zodiac BMV.png|Doctor Zodiac File:Batman 134 25.jpg|The Dummy File:DuplicateMan.PNG|Duplicate Man File:Egghead BMV.png|Egghead File:John Dolan 01.png|Elemental Man File:Eraser-DC-Comics-Batman-b.jpg|The Eraser File:Firebug BMV1.png|Firebug File:Getaway Genius1.png|The Getaway Genius File:GlassMan.PNG|Glass Man File:Gorilla Boss BMV.PNG|Gorilla Boss File:Human Magnet BMV.png|The Human Magnet File:JackalHead1.PNG|Jackal-Head File:Johnny Witts BMV1.png|Johnny Witts File:King of the Cats.png|King of the Cats File:King Cobra BMV.png|King Cobra File:Moth BMV.jpg|Killer Moth File:Chuck Brown1.jpg|Kite Man File:Hatman Imposter BMV.png|Mad Hatter Imposter File:Madame Zodiac BMV.jpg|Madame Zodiac File:Magpie BMV.png|Magpie File:Masquerader.png|The Masquerader File:Mirage BMV.png|Mirage File:Mirror Man 01.jpg|Mirror Man File:MisterBaffle.jpg|Mister Baffle File:Mister Camera1.jpg|Mr. Camera File:Mister Esper BMV.png|Mister Esper File:Mister Hydro BMV.png|Mister Hydro File:MisterRoulette1.PNG|Mister Roulette File:Mole BMV.png|The Mole File:Monarch of Menace BMV.png|Monarch of Menace File:Moonman BMV.png|Moonman File:The Moth BMV.png|The Moth File:Octopus1.PNG|The Octopus File:Irving_Norbet.png|Planet Master File:Penny Plunderer BMV.jpg|Penny Plunderer File:Pi-MesonMan.PNG|Pi-Meson Man File:Polka-Dot Man BMV.jpg|Polka-Dot Man File:Professor Radium.jpg|Professor Radium File:Quakemaster BMV1.png|Quakemaster File:Rainbow Creature BMV.png|Rainbow Creature File:Mister Sea Fox BMV.png|Sea-Fox File:Shiner BMV.png|The Shiner File:Signalman -New 52.jpg|Signalman File:Spellbinder 02.jpg|Spellbinder File:Spinner BMV.jpg|The Spinner File:TheSpook.jpg|The Spook File:Sterling BMV.png|Sterling Silversmith File:Ten-Eyed Man.jpg|Ten-Eyed Man File:Tiger Moth BMV.png|Tiger Moth File:Tiger Shark BMV.png|Tiger Shark File:Zebra-Man BMV.png|Zebra-Man File:Zodiac Master2.png|Zodiac Master Footnotes Category:Villains Category:Bureau of Missing Villains